From: Jonathan King

May 24, 2016

1. In the past 12 months what was the total monetary amount of child support payments transferred from IRD to to Work & Income?

1a. Of that amount: how much went to offsetting main benefit payments; how much was paid out to people due to the child support payments exceeding the rate of people's benefit payments; and where did any remaining amount go?

1b. In the past 12 months what was the total monetary amount paid out to sole parents in the form of a main benefit?

2. In the past 12 months what was the total number of individuals making child support payments to IRD which were transferred to W&I? Please break this down by gender, age, and ethnicity.

2a. In he past 12 months what was the total number of people whose benefit payments were being offset by child support payments to IRD transferred to W&I? Please break this down by gender, age, and ethnicity.

2aa. What is this number as a proportion of sole parents receiving main benefit payments from W&I.

2b. In the past 12 months what was the total number of children for whom child support payments to IRD were transferred to W&I?

3. Please break down the number of child support payments (per child) which were made to IRD and transferred to W&I in the past 12 months according to weekly cost bands, e.g. how many payments between $0-10 per week; how many $10-20 per week, etc.

3a. In the past 12 months what number of child support payments to IRD which were transferred to W&I were at the minimum child support rate?

3b. In the past 12 months what number of child support payments to IRD which were transferred to W&I to offset benefit payments were above the level of the main benefit they were offsetting, and thus led to some portion of that child support money being transferred to the carer?

3c. What was the average rate of child support payments (per child) which were paid to IRD and transferred to W&I?

4. Based on data MSD has access to, in the past 12 months what proportion of sole parents were not receiving a W&I main benefit? Please break this down by age, gender, and ethnicity.

5. In the past 12 months how many notifications did W&I receive from IRD which amounted to a notification for W&I to enforce a sanction on a beneficiary under section 70A of the Social Security Act?

5a. What is this figure as a proportion of the number of new sanctions imposed under section 70A in the past 12 months?

From: OIA_Requests (MSD)
Ministry of Social Development

May 25, 2016

Tēnā koe Mr Jonathan King,

Thank you for your email received 25 May 2016, under the Official Information Act 1982. Your request has been forwarded to the appropriate officials at National office to respond. You may expect a response to be sent to you as soon as possible.

Nā mātou noa, nā

Official and Parliamentary Information team | Ministerial and Executive Services Ministry of Social Development

Our Purpose: We help New Zealanders to help themselves to be safe, strong and independentKo ta mātou he whakamana tangata kia tū haumaru, kia tū kaha, kia tū motuhake

From: OIA_Requests (MSD)
Ministry of Social Development

June 23, 2016

On 24 May 2016 you emailed the Ministry requesting, under the Official Information Act 1982, the following information:

· 1. In the past 12 months what was the total monetary amount of child support payments transferred from IRD to Work & Income?

· 1a.Of that amount: how much went to offsetting main benefit payments; how much was paid out to people due to the child support payments exceeding the rate of people's benefit payments; and where did any remaining amount go?

· 1b. In the past 12 months what was the total monetary amount paid out to sole parents in the form of a main benefit?

· 2. In the past 12 months what was the total number of individuals making child support payments to IRD which were transferred to W&I? Please break this down by gender, age, and ethnicity.

· 2a. In the past 12 months what was the total number of people whose benefit payments were being offset by child support payments to IRD transferred to W&I? Please break this down by gender, age, and ethnicity.

· 2aa.What is this number as a proportion of sole parents receiving main benefit payments from W&I.

· 2b.In the past 12 months what was the total number of children for whom child support payments to IRD were transferred to W&I?

· 3. Please break down the number of child support payments (per child) which were made to IRD and transferred to W&I in the past 12 months according to weekly cost bands, e.g. how many payments between $0-10 per week; how many $10-20 per week, etc.

· 3a.In the past 12 months what number of child support payments to IRD which were transferred to W&I were at the minimum child support rate?

· 3b.In the past 12 months what number of child support payments to IRD which were transferred to W&I to offset benefit payments were above the level of the main benefit they were offsetting, and thus led to some portion of that child support money being transferred to the carer?

· 3c.What was the average rate of child support payments (per child) which were paid to IRD and transferred to W&I?

· 4.Based on data MSD has access to, in the past 12 months what proportion of sole parents were not receiving a W&I main benefit? Please break this down by age, gender, and ethnicity.

· 5. In the past 12 months how many notifications did W&I receive from IRD which amounted to a notification for W&I to enforce a sanction on a beneficiary under section 70A of the Social Security Act?

· 5a.What is this figure as a proportion of the number of new sanctions imposed under section 70A in the past 12 months?”

I am aware that with the exception of questions 1b, 2aa and 4, your request has been transferred to Ms Naomi Fergusson, Commissioner and Chief Executive of the Inland Revenue Department

I will address each of your questions in turn:

· 1b. In the past 12 months what was the total monetary amount paid out to sole parents in the form of a main benefit?

This information is captured in page 136 of the Ministry of Social Development Annual report which is available on the Ministry’s website at the following link. The information you are looking for is listed under the Sole Parent Support Appropriation title.

· 2aa.What is this number as a proportion of sole parents receiving main benefit payments from W&I.

· 4.Based on data MSD has access to, in the past 12 months what proportion of sole parents were not receiving a W&I main benefit? Please break this down by age, gender, and ethnicity.

The Ministry is unable to provide you with the percentage of sole parents in receipt of a Work and Income Benefit as the Ministry do not monitor or report on sole parents who are not in receipt of a Work and Income Benefit. However the Ministry publishes data on sole parents on its website and this is included below. The Statistics New Zealand website holds a lot of information from the 2013 Census regarding households with sole parents with children which you may find helpful, a link to this is also included below: